Iga Swiatek joined the Rafael Nadal Academy recently to sharpen her clay court prowess in pursuit of a fifth French Open title. This spells trouble for the rest of the field, and hence, her move didn't sit well with Jessica Pegula.

Speaking on The Player’s Box podcast recently, Pegula shared her reaction after watching Nadal personally groom Swiatek in his academy. It got her saying, “I saw that clip of (Iga and Rafa) on the clay, and I was like, Uhhhh… this is bad for everybody.”

Pegula didn’t stop there and added, “This should be illegal. This should not be allowed!”

The video displayed Nadal showing Swiatek the technique to deliver powerful forehands, just like he did during his days of competing actively.

Swiatek is trying her best to bounce back from a slow start to the season by her standards, with no results beyond the quarterfinals so far.

The 24-year-old reached the last eight at the Australian Open, Doha, and Indian Wells but couldn’t go further, and her struggles continued in Miami with an early loss to Magda Linette after winning the first set.

Now that Rafael Nadal is guiding her, former coaches and analysts are starting to weigh in on what it could mean for Iga Swiatek’s future.

Iga Swiatek Encouraged to Trust Rafael Nadal’s Inputs

Only a few players can turn to Rafael Nadal during a tough time, and Iga Swiatek is one of them, having proven herself as a top clay-court player from his academy. However, the former world No. 1 is going through a difficult phase, and her 2026 season has only added to the challenge.

Many believe bringing in Francisco Roig as her coach before the clay season was a smart move, as his long-time work with Rafael Nadal gives Iga Swiatek direct access to one of the greatest clay-court minds in tennis.

Former Serena Williams coach Rick Macci also shared his thoughts on X, saying, “Every word from Rafa is a gold nugget because on the dirt he is the best of the best that ever held the stick."

He further added, “Where he can flip the Iga script is not so much strategically but mentally. If the Polish Punisher can get her identity back between the ears, she will come all the way back.”

That said, now that Iga Swiatek is preparing for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix starting April 13, do you think she can turn things around this clay season under Rafael Nadal’s guidance?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Souvik Roy